all gave some some gave all and the brave men and women who are still serving and those who gave all on this veterans day, 2009. what did the military know about the alleged ft. hood gunman before the ram papage? a united airlines pilot yanked from the cockpit before takeoff. a co-worker thought he was drunk. what the airline is saying now. hi, everybody. the latest from hln "news and views." i'm chuck roberts on a wednesday. welcome. live pictures from ft. hood, texas. we're waiting the start of a news conference on the status of those still hospitalized from last week's shooting rampage and expecting to hear details about

the veterans day events scheduled at the post. we hope to hear from the deputy commander colonel john rossi momentarily. we're hearing from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking is credited with saving many lives during the rampage at ft. hood. sergeant kimberly munley is called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman. she remains hospitalized recovering from three gunshot wounds but today told talk show host oprah winfrey about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes. the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there was many peel outside pointing into the direction that this individual was apparently located and as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire.

>> i heard reports that he grazed your head. the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually, the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head. no, ma'am. >> that's a police sergeant next to her also one of the first responders at the scene. the entire interview broadcast today on "the oprah winfrey show." should the military lift their ban on women in combat? e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or comment on our facebook page. just bring up the page and dive into the discussion. we hope to hear from you today. you can also text your views to hlntv. views a if you think yes, women should be allowed in combat or views b if you think they

shouldn't. the suspect in the ft. hood shootings is still refusing to answer questions about the day. his attorney says major nidal hasan is coherent but not talking about the attack. he's under guard in intensive care in san antonio. on cnn's "american morning" today, major hasan's attorney said they had limited contact. >> they have been very limited. i was only recently retained and only had one opportunity to meet directly with him for a brief 30-minute period shortly after i was retained. i went down myself and together with the military detail defense counsel and met with them. it was primarily just to ensure that he was satisfied with the current composition of the defense team and because of his medications and it was obvious that he was very tired we terminated our interview at that time. >> investigators are still trying to figure out what might have proef ovoked the attack. how much did the government know

about the suspect before the massacre at ft. hood and if he's tried how much of the information can be used in a military court? we're talking shortly to a former military prosecutor about 50 minutes away and we'll get answers to this procedure. president obama's commander in chief on veterans day is consoler in chief. he laid a wreath any tomb of the unknowns today. an occasion poignant as it was he who led the memorial service for victims the ft. hood massacre just yesterday. he paid tribute to all who have served and are currently serving this country. >> in an era where so many acted only in pursuit of narrow self-interest, they have chosen the opposite. they chose to serve the cause that is greater than self. many even after they knew they would be sent into harm's way. and for the better part of a decade they endured tour after tour in distant and difficult places and protected from us danger and given others the

opportunity for a better life. to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families, there's no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. after the amphitheater service, the president visited section 60, the burial ground at arlington for u.s. military personnel killed in iraq and afghanistan. there were no words of remorse today or actually last night from a so-called d.c. sniper before his execution. john allen muhammad died by lethal injection. police believed he was the mastermind behind the terror attacks in 2002. an ambulance took away his remains. some victims' relatives and the

prosecutor witnessed the prosecution. >> he died peacefully more than his victims. i felt a sense of closure. i hope they did, too. i hope they have solis by virtue of his execution. >> muhammad was executed for killing dean harold myers but ten people died in the shooting spree. a united airlines pilot was pulled off a flight minutes before he was supposed to take off from london to chicago on monday. british police say his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. the pilot has been removed from duty while the airline investigates. an airlines spokeswoman says the policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well established policy. workers clearing a rock slide got a scare from a second slide. this time it's caught on tape. it's veterans day when we

honor the service of our men and women. >> today we salute world war ii veteran. wendell was an army staff sergeant during the war and his daughter, wendy, wants to let us now how proud she is of her dad. >> we want to leave a message for our dad thanking for him for being so brave in world war ii when he was captured at age 20 and we want to thank him for his contribution to all of the freedoms we enjoy in this great country and we just want to tell him we're so proud of him and that we love him. >> absolutely. wendell also served in the korean war and turned 85 just last month. back to you. on veterans day we salute all troops serving our country and thank america's veterans for that service.

some people are asking should women in the military be allowed to go into direct combat? you recall the civilian police officer sergeant kimberly munley, an outstanding officer, the one who rose to the occasion and confronted and shot the ft. hood gunman. she's appearing on "oprah" today. a recent article says the best way to honor her heroism is to drop the ban on women in combat. the article points out there are 10,000 female personnel in iraq. 4,000 in afghanistan. they are driving trucks. treating the wounded. shooting when attacked. more than 100 gave their lives in iraq and another 15 died in

afghanistan. the article says the no combat policy pretends women can't take such risks without harming overall military performance. earlier we asked people on one of our cnn tours today their thoughts on this. >> i think the policy is right. women are in many situations that are not physically capable of combat military task. i think women should be allowed. those women with the capacity and willingness to serve in a combat, they should be given the chance to but policy serves for majority of situations so i think it should stay as it is. >> it should stay as it is let's go to the phones and say hello to sandy in california. what do you think? >> caller: first off, i would like to say thank you to all of the men and women. this is veterans day serving this country and protecting this country as we have today. and second of all, behind every great man is great woman. i think that says it all.

we should let them serve in combat if they need to. >> no reservations? >> caller: no reservations whatsoever. >> mark on the line at ft. bragg. happy veterans day to you. >> caller: i myself after being in combat several times i've gone well over a month without a shower and surviving the living conditions that we dealt with as airborne infantry men in combat. no running water. lack of sleep. and after all of the discussions with my wife and many other females that i know that are currently serving in the army, my fair conclusion is females should be allowed to do whatever they want in the military but facing the realities of combat is just not practical for female soldiers to do certain jobs and to perform on the same standard that they need to for survival in combat. >> because of physical limitations? >> physical limitations, hygiene

purposes. are you married, sir? >> yes. >> caller: ask your wife what would happen if she went two months without a shower. it's important to look at stuff like that and in a time of war it's a distraction that we shouldn't be focusing on, you know -- >> is fraternization the distraction? >> that could be a problem. it poses a threat in every different angel of the workforce. >> thanks for your service. i appreciate it. greg is on the line. what do you think? >> caller: if a woman can become a police officer, a fireman, a cia agent, an fbi agent, and can even run for president, there's no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to fight in combat if she wants. remember it was a woman who brought down the terrorist at ft. hood. >> i appreciate it. thanks, everybody. do you think the military should list the ban on women in combat. e-mail cnn.com/hln.

you can add a comment on the facebook page. you can search chuck roberts hln and bring that up and dive in. we'll put your comments on the air all day. you can also text your views to hlntv. views a if you think yes women should be allowed or views b if you think we should keep the policy where it is. a rock slide closed down a major highway in tennessee. workers tried to clear the roadway from an earlier incident and almost got hit by another rock slide and this one was caught on video. a local news crew got the video of the second rock slide. a state transportation department geologist warned everyone there may be a second slide and get out of the way. they did but the camera caught it in polk county, tennessee. one thing atlanta and suburbs don't need now is more rain but that's what residents got thanks to the remnants of

tropical storm ida. when will the water finally go down?

quickly to ft. hood. the status update on the wounded from the thursday rampage. >> next to me are a few that will offer what it means to them in just a few seconds. there are several things that the ceremony represents to ft. hood as a whole and i would like to address them. first, it demonstrates our recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by our fallen comrades while serving their nation. just as importantly it recognizes the sacrifices made by each of their families. many of the fallen's family members left the local area but they will always remain with us. the last note of taps played did not represent the end of a relationship but serves as a symbol of a continued and

enduring commitment to them. second, the ceremony represents the important steps the if the has taken to move through the heeling process. healing will take time. we're certain of that. we will move through this together. lastly the ceremony serves as a stepping stone. this is the stepping stone back to the pathway, the pathway that carries duties and tasks our nation has chartered you are to accomplish. simply put, our mission at ft. hood conditions. i think you saw that highlighted by the return of our soldiers last night. we have units training in the field right now. the military aspect of this and our mission requirements are upon us and we'll continue to pursue them. we continue to appreciate the continued demonstration of respect and concern for the privacy and well-being of the fallen's families and those

injured as well. at this point i'll take a few questions before i introduce my comrade. >> reporter: what are the number still in the hospital? >> i think i just gave it. 15. four in icu and 11 on the wards and they're making great progress. i visited yesterday with su sergeant munley and another soldier and she was basically telling us to tell everyone that she's doing fine and really appreciates the support that continues to be provided to her. >> reporter: colonel, can you address the differing accounts of what happened with sergeant munley and sergeant todd encounter hasan? we hear that it was actually sergeant todd who shot him. >> those are specifics to the investigation. i'm not going to address that and again tomorrow at 12:00 mr. gray will provide an update on the case. >> colonel, we understand that major hasan's pass was revoked

yesterday. can you confirm that and what would that mean? >> any questions regarding major hasan need to be referred to his defense counsel. >> can you explain -- >> he's not answering specifics about the investigation. he did provide the deputy ft. hood commander a brief update on the status of the wounded. 15 in the hospital. four still in icu. they are clearly concerned about that. he spoke with sergeant kimberly munley who certainly was a hero racing to the scene of the shooting and helping to take down the suspect. so that's the latest from ft. hood. he's surrounded by some of the other people who were there that day. the walking wounded, if you will. let's move on. an artist honoring the troops with a unique exhibit that featured dog tag replicas bearing the name, rank and age of every service member killed

in iraq. it's called 3,000 and counting. the artist hopes the work will provoke thought. >> it isn't sculpture in that you can't walk around it and get into the middle of it. >> in honor of veterans day the artist is updating the piece with homemade foil dog tags. davis went missing from her fayetteville home yesterday about 5:30 local in the morning. police are searching wooded areas near the home but they're worried that heavy rain may delay efforts to find her. investigators say davis' family has a history with the department of social services. she's 3 feet tall and weighs 40 pounds, brown hairs and brown eyes last seen with a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. if you have information, you live in the fayetteville area and you have helpful information, call the police in fayetteville. nancy grace has the latest developments on the desperate

search. join her at 8:00 and 10:00 eastern. kids in florida tried everything to get a cat out of a tight spot. why they finally had to call in the experts.

there were questions if the government missed warning signs about the ft. hood shooting suspect. major nidal hasan accused of killing 13 people at the post last thursday. he's refused to be interviewed by investigators but we do know he'll likely get a military trial. what are the rules? what's admissible? a military court as opposed to a regular civilian court? a former military attorney has a lot of experience in this realm joining us live from new york with answers. thanks for your time. who judges him? >> it's going to be actually a panel opposed to a jury. what the panel consists of is upper ranking officers. they put higher ranking officers

than major hasan in order that major hasan can't show signs of retribution that he would do anything to the members depending on how they vote. the panel members will be the ones voting. the difference is that you need a two-thirds vote in the military opposed to a unanimous vote on the civilian side of things. >> is it the death penalty? >> it will be the death penalty. that will be on the table. it will be two phase. panel voting on guilt or innocence which is a two-thirds vote and then you have the penalty phase which will be a vote as to whether or not they will invoke the death penalty. at that point you need a unanimous vote. >> if the defense is that he snapped under pressure, is a military panel, uniformed mill military officers more likely to accept that? >> i would say no. you are dealing with upper crust here. you're dealing with a major being tried. nothing under a lieutenant colonel will be on the panel. that being the case, it's the

equivalent of having a bunch of harvard grads or college professors up there on the jury as opposed to a cross section of society. you don't have that. there will be much less likely to go along with that as far as exoneration. however, at the death penalty phase you could also take -- you will be able to take it into consideration for mitigation. if there's a strong case that he had some mental issues and some strong emotional issues, that could certainly take the death penalty off the table. >> would his e-mails with a radical cleric be admissible? >> not for the point of showing that it was an act of terrorism. if they go down that road, there will be objections. evidence will not be allowed. they're not trying him as a terrorist because the military does not have a terrorism statute. that won't be allowed. however, if it can show premeditation on his part, then it will be admissible for that purpose. >> if it's not a terrorism case, might there be evidence that

suggests that the army dropped the ball and missed red flags and could the tribunal rule that off limits? >> the issue is not going to be whether or not the army dropped the ball. certainly -- >> it's just guilt or innocence of hasan? >> defense will want to bring that up to make it seem as if it is the army's fault. they should have stopped him before he did this as if he didn't have control over his own actions. again, i don't think that argument is going to really fly as far as guilt or innocence stage. >> how much will americans see and hear of this evidence? >> it will be public. you can view the trial. there won't be cameras there but reporters can be there. they can be in the audience. that's not unusual to see that. of course in this case with the amount of coverage that it's getting roar it will not wain. this is a huge case which has ramifications felt throughout the world. >> thank you for your time. we appreciate you coming in. >> thank you so much. >> we learned a lot.

thank you very much. we're learning more about the surviving victims. 15 wounded remain in area hospitals and four are still in intensive care unit. he says all of the wounded are making great progress. he spoke about the importance of yesterday's memorial service. >> healing will take time. we're certain of that. with our local community by our side we'll move through this together. lastly the ceremony serves as a stepping stone. this is the stepping stone back to the pathway that carries the duties and tasks our nation has chartered us to accomplish. simply put, our mission at ft. hood continues. >> the colonel said the military is looking at the physical security at ft. hood. we can expect there may be changes. >>. >> we're hearing from the brave woman credited with saving lives during the rampage. k

kimlerly munley told oprah winfrey about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes. the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there were many people outside pointing into the direction that this individual was apparently located and as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill was when things started getting bad and we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that he grazed your head, the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually, the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head. no, ma'am. >> police sergeant major mark

todd right there to her right to camera's left was one of the first responders. the entire interview will be broadcast today. do you think the military should li lift its ban on women in combat? e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. if she's good enough to guard ft. hood, is she good enough to save america and take care and defend america? add your comment to my facebook page. you can also text us your view hlntv a if you think yes women should be allowed or views b if you think no, they shouldn't. president obama is commander in chief and on veterans day he's consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns today. poignant as he led yesterday's military service for victims of the massacre at ft. hood. he played tribute to all who have served and are currently serving this country.

>> for wounded warriors, another day of slow recovery. in this national cemetery it is another day when grief remains fresh. so while it important and proper that we mark this day, it is far more important we spend all our days determined to keep the promises that we made to all who answer this country's call. carved into the marble behind me are the words of our first commander in chief. when we assumed the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen. just as the contributions that our service men and women make to this nation don't end when they take off their uniform, neither do our obligations to them. when we fulfill those obligations, we aren't just keeping faith with our veterans, we are keeping faith with the ideals of service and sacrifice

upon which this republican was founded. >> after the amphitheater service, the president visited section 60, the burial ground at arlington for military personnel killed in iraq and afghanistan. our money expert clark howard serves in the georgia state guard and this weekend you'll see him serving our troops. he and robin meade from "morning express" teamed up to help soldiers and you save more, espn less and avoid getting ripped off. >> marie brooks may be your favorite person. what's the best way to be debt free before retirm? when will you retire? >> two years from army reserve and two to five years from civil service. >> okay. so the question is what kind of debts do you have that you're trying to get your arms around? >> i want to get around to paying off the house and having just house and utilities by the time i retire. >> paying off your home mortgage is not always a priority. the big priority is paying off any unsecured debt.

personal loans, credit cards, and then next would be car loans. home mortgage debt is not a high priority with me. it's more important that you beef up your savings than it is to be mortgage debt free. it's psychological for people to want to be mortgage debt free on the day they retire. i'm not that much into that. your house isn't going to feed you money. you're going to feed yourself from the money that you have saved. >> clark, what about -- i've heard other financial analysts who aren't half as good as you i might just add when they say that you're paying off your mortgage should be a priority because that way you're not homeless. >> well, that's a good point but i'm more concerned about people who retire, don't have enough money, don't have enough cash to pay for every day things, and it's an empty victory that they own their house free and clear. >> don't miss it all.

"operation clark smart" this weekend at 6:00 a.m., noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern time. her shooting death during the iranian election protest made neda a global icon. why is the decision to honor her coming under attack.

a powerful day at ft. hood but if you've only heard about the somber and emotional memorial service yesterday, you only heard half the story. there were deafening tears of joy as well. melissa long is here to explain. >> reporter: this was a charged

and excited atmosphere at ft. hood after that somber ceremony earlier in the day. then there was a jubilant homecoming. ♪ >> a lot of excitement. last night welcome home, daddy, we missed you. the gray wolf troopers of the third brigade came home after 13 months in iraq. again, you can see the excitement there. the soldiers filing into formation one last time before being rushed by their family members. there was so little talk of the killings, of the shooting disaster at ft. hood. the focus was on the homecoming of these soldiers. the hugs and the tears and the celebration. one soldier's wife said the past 13 months have been so difficult but everyone pulls together there at ft. hood. not only during the shootings but also yesterday obviously at that wonderful homecoming.

>> it cleanses the palate. one of the most prestigious universities is being criticized for honoring a woman who is a global symbol of freedom. what's that about? >> a young woman we watched on camera as she was shot to death. now the iranian government is upset about oxford university creating a name of a scholarship in her honor. the college says a donor funded the scholarship which will be primarily given to students of iranian descent. this decision is accusing the school of being politically motivated. tehran accused british of helping to insight the protest which followed the controversial recent election. the school says the donors are free to name scholarships as they wish and students are always interested in financial support and that the university supports that. >> thank you. good stuff. a united airlines pilot was

pulled off a flight just before he was taking off from london to chicago monday. authorities were called by a co-worker who thought he was tipsy. british police administered a blood alcohol machine and he turned out to have a level more than the legal limit according to them. the pilot has been removed from duty. the airline is investigating. a spokeswoman saying united policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have no tolerance for violation of this well established policy. tampa police say a priest was attacked with a tire iron and the man accused of doing it is a marine corps reservist. police say that a greek orthodox priest visiting the united states limited english capability was lost. he followed jason bruce in a garage and asked for directions. they accuse bruce of beating the priest with a tire iron and calling him a terrorist. >> it's sad. this is a soft-spoken person

whose life is dedicated to serving god and the church and he got lost and asked for directions and someone assaulted him. >> bruce's attorney claims the reverend groped the man and bruce was only defending himself. he's free on bond. the priest was in a hospital and later released. a lot of people are taking a second look at slugger sammy sosa. why he says his skin looks lighter these days.

>> we're extremely proud of our military troops and want to honor them this veterans day especially in memory of our friend josh meadows who was fallen last month and just very proud to be a part of the marine corps and believe in what we're doing and fighting for america's freedom. thank you all. >> always faithful. of course on veterans day we salute all of the troops serving this country. parades under way across the nation. here's one in phoenix. we thank america's veterans for their service on this day and every day.

cleveland detectives are expanding the search next door to the home where 11 bodies were found looking for more evidence and bodies. city crews are cleaning up debris at the property to prepare it for thermal imaging. suspect anthony sowell is being held on five counts of aggravated murder. police say he lured women into his home with liquor and attacked them. nine of the bodies found in the home have been i.d.'d. the driver of that bus that crashed late last month in georgia died of natural causes. the former owner of the bus said ralph marshall died of a heart attack. the 63-year-old died after a car incident but an autopsy showed no evidence of significant injury from the incident. results of toxicology tests are pending. >> i'm jane velez-mitchell. here's my issue. everything that happened in the accused cleveland strangler case can be traced to drug use. it's the underlying theme of this whole nightmare. what was the common denominator

with the victims? most were drug users. according to his sowell was also a drug survivor bleep from the street. no one will know you are missing. a victim's relative said when they reported her missing daughter to police they laughed and said don't worry. she'll return when the drugs run out. this is an extreme example. it is time our addict nation has a major intervention. i'm jane velez-mitchell. that is my issue. >> don't miss it. "issues with jane velez-mitchell." a rockslide crossed down a highway in southeastern tennessee. workers clearing the roadway almost got hit by another rock slide. and it was caught on video. take a look. that is u.s. highway 64.

a local news crew was covering the clean up effort and got the video of the second rock slide. obviously, that highway is out of commission. state transportation geologists warned there might be a second slide and moved everyone out of the way. it is closed at least a week. the sheriff investigating the balloon boy incident will not face felony charges. the d.a. said he didn't disclose information he wasn't supposed to. the boy's family has publicly denied they ever falsely reported he was in that balloon. what does sammy sosa have in common with michael jackson? he is denying he ever tried to lighten his skin. he looks dramatically different.

he explains a skin cream and bright tv lights made his skin look lighter. he declined to give the name of the cream. a woman went to mcdonald's and went home a very rich woman. hear how she turned a cup of tea into a million bucks.

the woman credited as the heroine in the ft. hood massacre appears on "the oprah winfrey show." of course we are remembering the brave men and women who are serving and those who gave their all. the ceremonies this veterans day. workers clearing a rock slide on a tennessee highway get quite a scare from this thing. a second slide. a little too close for comfort. welcome to hln news and views. on this veterans day our thanks to all of you who are watching and who have served. we are learning more about the surviving victims of the shooting attack on ft. hood.

15 wounded remain in area hospitals, four in intensetive care. all the wounded are making great progress we are happy to hear. the colonel spoke about the memorial. >> healing will take time. the ceremony serves as a steppingstone. this is the steppingstone back to the pathway that carries the duties and tasks our nation charted us to accomplish. our mission at ft. hood continues. >> the colonel goes on to look at the security. we are hearing from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking is credited with save ing somany lives. sergeant kimberly munley is being called a hero. she is in the hospital recovering from three gunshot

wounds. today she told oprah winfrey about that attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes. the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there was many people outside pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located. as soon as i got out of my vehicle and a run up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that he grazed your head, the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am, actually, the first round i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head. no ma'am. >> you did not? >> police sergeant mark todd was one of the first responders at the scene.

their entire interview will be broadcast today on "the oprah winfrey show." the heroic actions of sergeant munley made us think of the role of women in the military. should the u.s. military lift its ban on women in combat, specifically? we get your views ahead this hour. there are some questions about how much the government new about hasan and his views before the massacre. there are questions about what happens in court from this point on. we know hasan is facing a military trial. will the jury of his peers judge him the same as a jury of civilians. chuck roberts asked a former military attorney that same question. >> you are dealing with the upper cust. a major being tried. you will have nothing under a lieutenant colonel on this panel. it is the equivalent of having

harvard grads as opposed to a cross section of society. they will be much less likely to go along with that as far as exoneration. at the death penalty phase you can take into consideration, the panel members will in order for mitigation. if there is a strong case he had some mental issues and strong emotional issues that could take the death penalty off the table. >> the suspect in the ft. hood shooting is refusing to answer any questions about that day thus far. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but not talking about the attack. investigators are trying to figure out what provoked the attack. fbi agents showed up at the texas mosque where hasan worshipped. they searched a trash bin. the mosque president had to leave the memorial service to sign what appeared to be a

search warrant. leaders at the mosque condemned that attack. president obama, of course, the commander in chief. this veterans day is consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. the president led yesterday's memorial service of the victims of ft. hood. he paid tribute to those who have served and who are serving this country. >> tewell families to laid a loved one to rest we will not let you down. >> those serving in far flung places, when you see flag and touch our soil, you will be here for an american that is here for you as you have been here for us. that is my promise, our nation's promise to us. >> democratic senator daniel

acaca is the chairman of the veterans affairs committee. other people are heading out in the rain to honor those who served in the vietnam war. thousands turned out at the vietnam memorial. there were no words of remorse from the d.c. sniper. john allen muhammad died last night by lethal injection. an ambulance took his remains away. some victims relatives and the prosecutor witnessed that execution. >> he died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims. i felt a sense of closure and i hope they did, too. i think they look forward to that and have some solace by the virtue of his execution.

>> muhammad was executed for killed dean harold myers. his acome accomplish lee boyd malveaux is serving life in prison. several inches of rain fell in atlanta. forecasters say there is moderate flooding near the chatahooche river. atlanta's official total four inches of rain nearly doubles the old record. iida is not done yet. more showers are expected athe mid atlantic sea board. a college student's military i.d. may have saved his life. how he went from mugging victim to military inspiration.

jurors in arkansas could

begin deliberations today in the murder trial of curtis vance, the man you see right there. police say he beat a little rock tv anchor to death last october. he could be executed if he is found guilty. ann presley's face was crushed. monday jurors heard a tape of vance telling police he beat her with a piece of wood. defense attorneys claim he was tricked into confessing. please be on the lookout, a 5-year-old girl is missing in north carolina and authorities suspect foul play in her disappearance. take a look at this picture of shaniya davis. she disappeared from her fayetteville home yesterday. they are worried heavy rain may delay efforts. shaniya's family has a history with social services.

she is three feet tall, 40 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. a university of wisconsin student who is an army reservist said some muggers returned his wallet when they saw that he was in the military. 21-year-old kyle was walking to his milwaukee home when four men forced him to lay down and put a gun to his neck. they took his wallet, 16 dollars, his keys his cell phone. they had a change of heart when they opened his billfold. >> on going through my wallet they found my military i.d. which stopped them dead in their tracks. the leader said we can't do this. one of the individuals gave me a fist butch on their way out and said thank you for what you do.

>> how about that? the university has stepped up patrols. john o'connor the husband of sandra day o'connor has died. he was 79 and suffering alzheimer's. his wife sandra day o'connor is the first woman to serve on the high court. she retired in 2006 saying she needed to spend more time with her husband. the man accused of trying to extort $2 million from david letterman say he was trying to sell a screen play. that is next. but first, of course it is veterans day and we're remembering all the men and women who honor and serve the u.s. military. in this leaders with heart our own robin meade tells us about a woman who honors wounded troops every day. >> peggy baker is the founder of operation first response a volunteer organization that helps wounded u.s. soldiers and

their families. >> some of the serious injuries they have and they are still smiling, working hard to continue on. >> the group assists from financial aid to visiting the injured. it started with inspiration from peggy's son. >> my son joined the army shortly after 9/11. i was put into a position that my child was going to go and defend our country. it opened eyes. >> after a friend's son was wounded peggy met him at the army hospital to offer support and that is when she found her mission. >> at first i didn't have personal support except my family. to have somebody there who cared meant a lot. >> more than 5,000 families have been helped by the group since 2004. >> it is an emotional but wonderful experience to be part of their lives. they are incredible heroes.

hey, guys. hope you are having a good safe trip and we're thinking about you. our prayers are was you. may god bless. >> don't think for a second we have forgotten you who are serving and your families who are dealing without you being present in their lives right now. thank you. keeping you in our thoughts and prayers every day. an artist is honoring the troops with dog tag replicas. they have the rank and age of every service member killed in iraq. it is called 3,000 and counting. artist jean price hopes her work will provoke thought. >> this isn't sculpture in that you can't walk around it and get into the middle of it. >> in honor of veterans day she

is updating the piece with homemade foil dog tags. a united airlines pilot was pulled off a flight minutes before he was supposed to take off from london to chicago. because a co-worker thought he was drunk. his blood alcohol level was over the legal limb. an airline spokes woman says united's policy is among the strictest in the industry. we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy. a polygamist sect member got ten years in prison. raymond jessup heard the sentence yesterday. the girl became jessup's wife when she was 125.

the man accused of trying to extort $2 million from david letter sman trying to sell a screen play. i wonder how the end is written. >> exactly. i think this dramplaying out right now could in itself be a screen play, christi. these people deserve an a plus plus. the man accused of trying to blackmail dave letterman is saying he wasn't trying to extort money from david letterman. he was trying to sell him a screen play. his attorney gerald shargel says it was an exchange of documents for a $2 million check. he claimed his client had committed no crime. >> he had the absolute constitutional right to sell that property.

he could have sold it by creating a screen play, by writing a book, by giving information or selling information to entertainment outlets, whoever was willing to pay. he has the right to go to david letterman and say this could be embarrassing and this could be a problem for you. do you want to buy it? >> now letterman's attorney danielle horowitz denies that. >> he didn't try to sell it to anybody other than dave letterman. he came to dave letterman's apartment at 6:00 in the morning and said pay me a big chunk of money or your world is going to collapse. that is not how you engage in the screen play sale. >> of course, we know the day before the case became public letterman admitted he had had

sexual relationships with staffers. his show has not suffered, his marriage on the other hand i'm not so sure. this hz life time movie written all over it. >> somewhere along the line it is going to pop up. i'm wondering about the status of the case today. where does that stand? >> it is very serious. it is a felony grand larceny case. halderman is trying to get the case thrown out of court. he could face up to 15 years. he has pleaded not guilty. we have more on this tonight on "showbiz tonight." plus trump versus the beauty queen. a war of words between carrie prejean and donald trump. is the fallen beauty queen in over her head?

carrie and the donald. >> brooke, it is good to have you book. >> thanks, you, too. >> thank you. do you know if you have been hijacked on facebook? protesters have taken over groups giving anybody access to personal information. that is what the protesters wanted to point out. a group called control your info posted a message saying how it could change the name of a group if it chose. facebook says no confidential information has been placed at risk. a rock slide closed down a highway in southeastern tennessee. workers were trying to clear the roadway and almost got hit by another one. that one was caught on video. look at this. that's just way too close. a local news crew was covering the cleanup effort and managed

to get the video of the second slide. a state transportation geologist warned there might be a second slide and moved them out of the way. that highway 64 may be closed for nearly a week. stay with us.

, of course, president obama is commander in cheel. this veterans day he is consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. the occasion was particularly poignant since the president led yesterday's memorial service for the victims of the massacre at ft. hood. today he paid tribute to those who served rand serving this country. >> in an era where people have acted in pursuit of narrow self-interest they have chosen the opposite. they have chosen to serve the cause greater than sell'. many after they knew they would be sent into harm's way.

for the better part of a decade have endured tour after tour, protected us from danger and given others the opportunity for a better life. so to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen and to their families, there's no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. >> now after the amphitheater service president obama visited section 60 for u.s. military personnel killed in the iraq and afghanistan wars specifically. democratic senator from hawaii laid a wreath at the world war ii memorial in washington. he is a world war ii veteran and chairman of the veterans affairs committee. other people headed out in the rain to honor those who served in the vietnam war.

thousands gathered for a ceremony at this wall. the vietnam veterans memorial, including active duty and retired service members. we are learning more about the surviving victims at ft. hood. colonel john rossi says 15 wounded are in area hospitals, four in intensive care. all the wounded are making great progress. the colonel discussed the importance of yesterday meis morreale service. >> healing will take some time, we are certain of that. with our local community by our side we will move through this together. the the certain moany serve as a steppingstone back to the pathway, including the duties and tasks ouring nation has tasked us. our mission at ft. hood continues. for the first time we are

hearing from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking is credited with save ing somany lives. sergeant kimberly munley is being called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman. today she told talk show host oprah winfrey about that attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes. the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there was many people outside pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located and as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that he grazed your head. the bullet grazed your head.

>> no, ma'am. actually the first round i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head. no, ma'am. >> you did not. >> police sergeant mark todd was a first responder at the scene. it prompts this question, do you think the military should lift its ban on women in combat? give us a call at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. add your comment to my facebook page. chrissey paul hln. bring up my page and dive into the discussion. you can contribute. you can text us with your views. text views "a" if you believe women should be allowed into combat or "b" if you do not think they should. the suspect in the ft. hood

shooting hasan is refusing to answer any questions about that day. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but not talking about the attack. investigators are trying to figure out what provoked the attack. nancy grace has the latest breaking developments not just on this, but the desperate search for a little girl, a 5-year-old missing from north carolina. her name is shaniya. you can watch it on "nancy grace" at 8:00 and 10:00. right now in little rock, arkansas, curtis vance's case is in the hands of a jurj. he is charged with beating ann pressly. now is the time it gets tense. vance could be sentenced to death if con vingted. her shooting death in the

iranian bro tests made neda an fwloebl icon why is a university's decision to on her coming under attack.

i just wanted to say thank you to all you veterans out there. appreciate all your dedication and hard work and giving us the freedom we enjoy today. i would especially like to say hi to my brother, kevin, who is overseas and my husband is who is home right now. major bryan smith. i really appreciate you guys. love you. thanks. it is our honor to salute all of you who are serving our

country. we want to thank all of you and your family members. for everything you do for us every day. we'd never forget it. boy, what a powerful day at ft. hood. if you only heard about the somber emotional memorial service yesterday you only heard half the story. there were deafening cheering and tears of joy. reggie aqui is going to reveal that to us now. hi, reggie. >> hi. you know how big ft. hood is and the fact they couldn't just stop operations because of the shooting aftermath. yesterday hour after that ceremony that was moving there was a homecoming that happened almost the opposite of emotions. take a look at this. >> ft. hood, go ahead! >> last night the gray wolf

troopers of the third brigade came home after 13 months in iraq. it was a charged atmosphere and welcome departure from the terrible feelings people have had the last week or so. the soldiers filed into formation before the family members rushed their loved ones. little talk of the mass shootings and killings last week. families want to spend time catching up with their own reunions. one woman sign said my hero, my hubby, my life, my love. the other side said nick vetchio's booty. men and women happy to see their husbands and wives coming home after a long time. moving right along. >> exactly. one of the world's most prestigious universities is being criticized for a woman who

has become a global symbol of freedom. what is this about? >> this is nedal, the woman we remember from the protests in iran who was killed on camera for the world to see. that prompts protests all over the world. what is happening now is one of the most prestigious universities is trying to honor her. they are announcing the name of a scholarship in neda's name. a donor has stepped forward. iran's embassy in the uk is slamming the school accusing it of being politically motivated. the protests followed the election and got bigger once we saw the death of nedal on camera. the death sent to them says the college is taking advantage of her death by names the scholarship for her. the school says our donors are

free to name scholarships after whoever they please. there are people protesting the situation. i'm sure there are many more people supporting it. >> right. absolutely. hey, reggie, thanks for keeping us updated. one thing atlanta and its suburbs doesn't need is more rain. that is exactly what we are getting. thanks to tropical storm ida. which is best? fresh or frozen produce? we go beyond the service to isom conventional wisdom. >> fresh versus frozen produce. which is better? if you think fresh think again. it turns out frozen produce is just as nutritious as fresh produce because frozen vegetables and fruit are harvested at their peak, the

nutrition is preserved throughout the freezing process. you can lose those vitamins to water if you cook them in large amounts. i would suggest you cook them in small amounts by steaming. canned vegetables are usually high in sodium. canned fruit unless you get it packed in its own juice or water, skip it. you want to get as many colorful vegetables and fruit in your diet as possible to protect you from chronic disease.

several inches of rain falling fell overnight in atlanta pushing creeks and rivers out of their bank thanks to remnants of tropical storm ida. there is moderate flooding near the chatahoochie. atlanta's total yesterday four

inches of rain nearly doubles the record set in 1966. more showers are expected along the mid atlantic sea board. take note if you are in the area. i have to tell you on this veterans day we are getting a lot of moving submissions from i reporters. julie ellerton was brought to tears visiting the veterans park in west lake california. she stood by the gravesite of a young man on his birthday. i am not far, i am quite near. whisper softly and i will hear. boy. that is impactful. ellerton said it was heartbreaking. in the park was a traveling replica of the vietnam wall memori memorial. she watched as a family searched for loved ones. she talked to a vietnam veterans who said regardless of our views u.s. troops need and deserve our

support. >> when our leadership makes the decision to go to war against an enemy, right now it is these ir terrorists, whether we believe that is right or not, the men and women who are actually the ones going over there and doing that, they need to be supported. if our country makes that decision it is ridiculous for people in this country screaming and yelling you can't do that and having rallies. that is not right. >> ellerton dedicated her report to all the veterans who fought for freedom and died doing so and families who have lost so much. that is quite a picture, the empty boots. how much we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. all of you who serve and your families. we would like you to invite you to share your thoughts. go to ireport.com and click the upload now link.

our money expert clark howard serves in the georgia state guard if you didn't know. this weekend he is serving our troops. clark and robin meade teamed up to help soldiers and you save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> marie brooks may be your favorite person. what is the best way to be debt free to retirement. when do you retire? >> two to five years from civil service. >> the question is what kind of debts do you have you are trying to get your arms around? >> i want to get around to paying off the house and having just house and utilities by the time i retire. >> paying off your home mortgage is not always a priority. the big priority is any unsecured debt, personal loans, credit cards, next would be car loans. home mortgage debt is not a high priority. it is more important that you

beef up your savings than to be mortgage debt free. it is psychological for people to want to be mortgage debt free on the day they retire. i'm not that much into that. your house is not going to feed you money. you are going to feed yourself from the money you have saved. >> clark, what about other financial analysts aren't half as good as you, may i just say that, when they say yea, yeah, paying off your mortgage is a priority because you are never homeless. >> well that is a good point but i'm more concerned about people who retire, don't have enough money, don't have enough cash to pay for everyday things and it is an empty victory they own their house free and clear. >> you can watch operation clark smart on hln this weekend at 6:00 a.m., noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern. the mastermind behind the d.c. area sniper attacks said

nothing before his execution last night. john allen muhammad died by lethal injection at account easte account remains. some victims' relatives witnessed the execution. so did the prosecutor who won the death penalty conviction. >> he died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims. i felt a sense of closure. i hope they did, too. i hope they have some solice by viture of his execution. >> muhammad got the death sentence the shooting deaths but they left ten people dead. his accomplice is serving life in prison. and cleveland detectives are expanding the search next door to the home where 11 bodies were found. they're looking for more bodies and evidence. city crews are cleaning up debris to prepare it for thermal images search. anthony sowell is being held on five counts of aggravated

murder. police say her lured women into his home with liquor and then attacked them. nine of the bodies found in the home have been i.d.'d thus far. . the driver of a bus that crashed late last month has died of natural causes. the former owner of the bus involved in the halloween day accident outside of atlanta says ralph marshall died of a heart attack. he died following a car accident but there was no evidence of significant injuries from the incident. results of toxicology tests are pending. a united airlines pilot was pulled off a flight minutes before he was supposed to take off from london to chicago. british police say his blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. the pilot was removed from duty -- or has been. an airline spokeswoman says -- so a woman goes to lunch at

mcdonald's and comes home a very rich woman. he she turned one sweet cup of tea into a million bucks. 

the woman credited as the heroine of the ft. hood massacre appears on the oprah winfrey show. what she says about the takedown last week. ceremonies on this veterans day, 2009. and a united airlines pilot gets yanked from the cockpit just before takeoff in london. why coworkers didn't think he was fit to fly and what the airline is saying now. latest news from hln news and views. i'm chuck roberts. welcome on a wednesday. so far the suspect in the ft. hood shootings is refusing to answer any questions about the day. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but isn't talking about last week's attacks that left 13 dead.

he's under guard in intensive care. investigators are trying to figure out what provoked the attack. there are questions if whether the government mised ne clear warning signs. he will get a military trial. earlier i asked a former military lawyer what can be expected at the proceedings and whether it will be public. >> it's going to be public. there's not going to be cameras there. reporterscan be there. they can be in the audience. that's not unusual to see that. of course, in this case with the amount of coverage it's getting already, it will not wane. this is an absolutely huge case with ramifications that will be felt throughout the world. we're learning more about the surviving victims of last week's shooting attacks at ft. hood. 15 of the wounded remain in area hospitals. four are still in icu, intensive care. and all the wounded are making great progress. he spoke about the importance of yesterday's memorial service and the need for encouragement and unity. >> two things we really need now. we need leadership and we need

friendship. okay. the army prides itself on its leaders. leaders are expected to know their soldiers. so we expect leaders to be in basic. this is a 24/7 business. you need to know your soldiers. so it's okay to ask them how they're doing and encourage them to seek help if they need it. >> for the first time we're hearing from a civilian police officer whose quick thinking was credited with saving many lives. kimberly munley is being hailed a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman. she's still in a hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds. but she was able to talk to oprah winfrey about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes, the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic.

there was many people outside pointing into the direction that this individual was apparently located. as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad. we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that it grayed your head, the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head, no, ma'am. >> you did not. >> the man on her right is police sergeant mark todd. their entire interview will be on the oprah winfrey show broadcast today. should the u.s. military lift its ban on women in combat? we're going to get your views straight ahead this hour. president obama is commander in chief and today on veterans

day he's consoler in chief. he led the services at the tomb of the unknown. that memorial yesterday at ft. hood for victims of the rampage. he paid tribute to all who have served and are currently serving this country. >> to all our wounded warriors and to the families who laid a loved one to rest. america will not let you down. we will take care of our own. to those serving in foreign places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an america that is forever here for you, just as you have been there for us. that is my promise. our nation's promise to you. this morning a democratic senator marked the day laying a wreath at the world war ii monument. he's a chairman of the veterans affairs committee. other peopled headed out into the rain to honor those who

served our nation. during the vietnam war thousands gathered at a ceremony at the memorial, the black wall. there was no word of remorse at all from the d.c. area sniper before he was put to death. john alan muhammad died by lethal injection in the death chamber last night. the last photo of him taken there. police think he was the master mind behind the sniper attacks that terrorized the area in 2002. an ambulance took away his remains. some victims' relatives and the prosecutor watched the execution. >> i felt it was a sense of closure. i hope they did, too. hi think they looked forward to that. muhammad was executed for killing one man, but ten people died in the shooting spree. his accomplice is serving life in prison. police in missouri are

investigating a shocking case involving unspeakable sex crimes committed against children 20 years ago. the five men arrested and the victims are all from the same family. the suspects are accused of forcing one child to have sex with a dog and forcing an 11-year-old to have an abortion. authorities are scouring the grounds of the family's property in western missouri. they're looking for glass jars with notes written by children allegedly abused by relatives from 1988 through 1985. the lafayette county sheriff says authorities believe one or more bodies could be buried on the property. one of the victims came forward in august. other siblings corroborated the claims of the abused. prosecutors say he beat a little rock tv anchor to death last october. yesterday a medical examiner testified anne pressly's face was crushed during the attack

and her jaw was forced to the back of her head, cutting off blood to her brain. on monday jurors heard a tape of vance telling police he beat pressly with a piece of wood he found in her backyard. a college student's military i.d. may have saved his life. how he went from mugging victim to military inspiration.

hi guys and girls. thanks a lot for your sacrifices and being away from your families. we love you and take care. >> big amen from all of us. thanks for your service. all the troopses on veterans day. as we celebrate this holiday some people are asking the question should women in the military be allowed into combat? is it time to change that policy. you'll recall we just brought you images of the civilian police officer sergeant kimberly munley who last thursday was the one who confronted and took down

the ft. hood gunman. a recent article on slate.com says the best way to honor her would be to drop the ban on women in combat. the article points out there are 10,000 personnel in iraq. 4,000 in afghanistan. they're driving trucks and treating the wounded and shooting when attacked. more than 100 have given their lives in iraq. another 15 died in afghanistan. there's no front line policy prends that women can't take such risks without harming overall military performance. earlier we asked people on our cnn tour their thoughts on this. >> i really appreciate these concerns are being debated right now. think think that women have a place in the military absolutely. i agree that it does have a lot to do with physical ability, however, should i choose to in

that capacity, you know, in the field and in combat, i feel that i should be afforded the opportunity to prove that i have that physical strength to go out there and do the same job that our men are doing. >> you think you should be able to opt out if you didn't want to go into combat? would it be separate? >> i think you have to prove that physical strength. i think that has a lot to do with helping out with the team. yes, i do think you should be able to opt out. >> melinda on the line in tennessee. how you doing? >> caller: i'm all right. how are you? >> being a military spouse i can only tell you from a spouse's point of view, we feel -- me and several others that women should not be allowed. if many reasons. not only being a military spouse, being a christian as well. when you add men and women into the mix and they're bunking together, and they're on the

front lines together. you have emotional things going on. number two, it just doesn't seem right to have men and women mixed like that. there's a lot about the military that people don't understand. a lot of spouses here don't like the idea of other women being with their husbands so far away. >> for so long a period of full-time. >> the disthanks angle. good call, melinda. thank you. eric is with us from walden, new york. >> caller: i think females should definitely be allowed on the front lines in war. if females are given the same preparation and same training as the men, then once they become a parking lot and once they're over there there really is no separation between man -- you know, male and female. i think that females are just as strong as males. and i don't think that there should be any separation against

either. the higher numbers we have the better chance we have of prevailing. if those numbers include women, numbers are numbers. >> they're certainly in the combat zone, as we said. thank you so much. a lot of comments on my facebook page. let's roll a couple. kimela writes this -- if we're running an unscientific text poll today. let's put this on screen. 65% think women should be able to go into combat. you think the military should lift the ban on women in combat?

give us a call. e-mail at cnn.com/hln. you can comment on the face book page. just dive in our text your view. "views a" if you think women should be allowed in combat. an army reservist said muggers returned his wallet when they said they saw he was in the mill fair. four men forced him to lay down and put a gun to his neck. they took his wallet $16, his keys and cell phone, but when they saw his military i.d. in the wallet they quickly apologized, returned the belongings, and thanked him for his service. the reservist said the leader of the group gave him a fist bump. you think you know the news? prove it. challenge your friends. challenge yourself. test your knowledge with the cnn challenge. pick your favorite anchor, let's say robin meade from "morning express." play right now.

facebook has been hijacked. how easily it could happen to you.

sad news today. john o'connor, the husband of former supreme court justice sandra day o'connor has died. his wife is the first woman to serve on the high court. she retired in early 2006 saying she needed to spend more time with her husband. new york's governor david paterson called a special legislative session to deal with the multibillion dollar deficit. the issue getting most attention was same-sex marriage. when it became clear the issue wouldn't come up for a vote, same-sex marriage advocates got into a tussle when a conservative minister. what about my family? what about my family? say you don't care. >> i am voting no.

>> tell everybody right in that camera. >> i am voting no. the people don't want gay marriage. >> fellow democratic state senator tom dwayne who is openly gay says he remains optimistic it will say an up you are down vote by early next week. a priest was attacked with a tire iron and the man accused of doing it is a marine corps reservist. a greek orthodox priest visiting the u.s., very limited english, got lost downtown tampa, and apparently followed lance corporal jason bruce to ask him for help. they, the authorities, accused bruce of beating the priest and calling him a terrorist. >> i think it's sad. this is a very soft spoken person whose life is dedicated to serving god, serving the church. he got lost and asked for directions and someone assaulted

him. >> bruce's attorney said the reverend groped the man and that bruce was only defending himself. he's free on bond. protesters have taken over nearly 300 groups on facebook sites. groups that no longer have administrators. anybody can take over their duties, giving them access to member's personal information. that's just what protesters want to point out. control your info posted a message saying how it could rename a group to something offensive, though it added it has no plans. facebook says no confidential information was ever placed at risk or compromised. hln money expert clark hao wards warns it may cost you more in bank fees than you're willing to pay. here's clark. >> a lot of people because they've been burned by credit cards have switched in recent

years to debit cards. that's where it has a visa or mastercard logo on it. when you use it takes money directly from your checking account. do you know that most banks will allow you to use your debit card even when it will cause you to overdraw your account? why would they do that? they want you to overdraw your account so they can hit with you with massive overage charges. what should you do? ask your bank or credit union to not permit overages, where you can't get hit with an overage if you would overdraw your account. if you can't track your balance, do everything with cash instead. for more go to cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> clark serves in the georgia state guard. this weekend you'll see him serving our troops.

don't miss it. operation clark smart. this weekend at 6:00 a.m. noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern here on hln. a private u.s. security firm wanted to bribe its way out of a controversy after the guard shot 17 irk kaqi civilians. they're saying blackwater spent $1 million to buy violence for iraqi officials. it's unclear if anybody actually got paid. an artist is honoring the troops with a unique exhibit that includes dog tag replicas. every service member killed in iraq. it's on exhibit in montana, dubbed 3,000 and counting. jean price hopes her work will provoke thought. >> this isn't sculpture in that you can't walk around it and get into the middle of it. >> in honor of the veterans day

she's updating the piece. a united airlines pilot gets yanked from the cockpit just before takeoff in london.

the suspect in the ft. hood shootings is so far refusing to answer questions about if day. he is coherent but not talking about the attack. he's under guard at intensive care at a hospital in san antonio. on "america morning" today. his attorney said they've had limited contact. >> well, they've been very limited. i've only recently retained. i've only had one opportunity to meet directly with him. that was for a brief 30-minute period shortly after i was retained. i went down myself and together with the military defense counsel and met with him. it was primarily to ensure that

he was satisfied with the current composition of the defense team and because of his medications and it was obvious that he was very tired we terminated our interview at that time. >> investigators are trying to figure out what provoked the attack tlchlt are questions about whether the government missed any clear warning signs about major hasan. he will likely get a military trial. what is difference in a military court than a civilian court? earlier i asked a former military attorney steve razor. steve, thanks for your time. first of all who judges him? >> it's going to be actually a panel as opposed to a jury. what the panel consistens is ofs upper ranking officers. they put higher members. so he can't really do anything to the members depending on thousand they vote. the panel members will be the ones voting. the difference is that you need a 2/3 vote in the military as

opposed to a unanimous vote in the civilian side of things. >> is it the death penalty? >> it will be the death penalty. certainly that will be on the table. so it will be two phase. you'll have the panel voting on guilt or innocence, which is a 2/3 vote. then you'll have the penalty phase, a vote taz to whether or not they will invoke the death penalty. at that point you're going to need a unanimous vote. >> if defense is that he snapped under pressure, is a uniformed military officer more likely to accept the notion than civilian jurors would be? >> actually, i would have to say no. the reason for that is you're dealing with the upper crust here. you're dealing with a major being tried. therefore, you're going to have nothing under a lieutenant. it's the equivalent of having a bunch of harvard grads or college professors on the jury as opposed to a cross section of society. you don't have that. they'll be much less likely to

go along with that as far as exoneration. at the death penalty phase you will be able to take it into consideration, the panel will, in order for mitigation. if there's a strong case he had mental issues and strong emotional issues that could certainly take the death penalty off the table. >> with his e-mails with the radical cleric be admissible? >> it would not for the point of showing that it was an abilict terrorism. if they go down that road there's going to be objections. because they will not be trying him as a terrorist because the military does not have a terrorism statute. so that won't be allowed. however, if it could show premeditation on his part then it certainly will be admissible for that purpose. >> if it's not a terrorism case might will be evidence that suggests the army dropped the ball, missed some red flags, and could the tribunal rule that off limits? >> the issue is not going to be

the the army dropped the ball? >> it's just guilt or innocence? >> absolutely. the defense is going to want to bring that up to make it seem it's the army's fault. the army should have caught this. the army should have stopped him. as if he didn't have control over his own actions. i don't think that argument is going to this fly as far as the guilt or innocence stage. >> how much will americans be able to see and hear of the evidence? >> well, it's going to be public. you can view the trial. there's not going to be cameras there. reporters can be there. they can be in the audience. that is not unusual to see that. of course, in this case with the amount of coverage it's getting already it will not wane. this is an absolutely huge case which has ramifications that are going to be felt throughout the world. >> steve raiser, thanks for your time. we appreciate you coming in. we learned a lot. thank you very much. we're learning more about surviving victims of the rampage at ft. hood. john rossi says 15 of the wounded remain at area hospitals, 4 are in intensive care and all are making great

progress. a soldier who was just feet from hasan when the shots rang out says people at ft. hood are pick themselves up again. >> initially i think it's difficult to get back in there. you hit the ground from something that's happened metaphorically. i think we've all came through this. i think we've gotten back on our feet. i think that we're ready to get back in it. for the first time we're hearg from the civilian police officer whose quick thinking is credited with saving so many lives during the rampage. sergeant kimberly munley is being called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman, major hasan. she's still in a hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds but was able to appear on "the oprah winfrey show" and talk about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes, the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there was many people outside pointing into the direction that

this individual was apparently located. and as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting bad. we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that it grazed your head, the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head, no ma'am. >> you did not? >> police sergeant mark todd was also a first responder. their entire interview to be broadcast today on "the oprah winfrey show." the heroic actions of munley caused us to think of the role of military in the military. she can defend ft. hood, can she defend america? we'll get your views next hour. president obama is commander in chief. today on veterans day he's also

consoler in chief. he later reads at the tomb of the unknowns today. it was especially poignant as he lead the memorial service for victims yesterday. he paid tribute to those who have served and who are serving this country. >> to all our wounded warriors and to the families who laid a loved one to rest, america will not let you down. we will take care of our own. to those serving in far places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an america that is forever here for you just as you have been there for us. that is my promise, our nation's promise to you. >> democratic senator from hawaii marked the daying a wreath at the world war ii memorial in washington. he is a world war ii veteran and chairman of the veterans affairs

committee. other people are heading out into the rain to honor those who served the nation in the vietnam war. thousands gathered at the ceremony. including active duty and retired service member. the famous black granite wall. a private security firm wanted to bribe its way out of a controversy. former blackwater executives were quoted saying the zbrup sent a million dollars to buy silence from iraqi officials. "the times" reports it's unclear if anybody actually got paid. it calls the report baseless. there were no words of remorse at all from the so-called d.c. sniper before he was put to death. john allen muhammad was excuted by lethal injection. he was the mastermind behind the project that terrorized if nation in 2002.

an ambulance took away his remains. some victims' relatives and a prosecutor witnessed the execution. >> he died very peacefully. much more than most of his victims. a felt it was a sense of closure. i hope they did, too. >> muhammad was executed for killing one man, but ten people died in the shooting spree. his accomplice is serving life in prison. deliberations are under way in arkansas in the murder trial of curtis vance. prosecutors say he beat a little rock tv anchor to death last october. he could be executed if found guilty. yesterday a medical examiner testified ann frepressly's faces crushed. he told police he beat her with a piece of wood he found in the backyard. workers clearing a rock side on the tennessee highway got a scare from a second slide. this time it's caught on tape.

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as a vietnam veteran i want to thank all the troops in afghanistan and iraq for serving the country and doing a real good job. thank you for supporting us. >> well, everyone who rendered a salute gets our thanks today on veterans day. all the troops who served. all past and present. we're getting a lot of moving submissions from i-reporters on vetera veteransday. julie stood by the grave sight of a young man on his birthday and the heading read this way. i am not far.

i am quite near. whisper softly and i will hear. ellerton said it was heartbreaking. a traveling replica of the vietnam war in washington. ellerton talked to a vietnam vet who said regardless of personal views u.s. troops in the war zone need and deserve our support. >> when our leadership makes the decision to go to work against an enemy, right now it's terrorists. whether we all believe that's right or not the men and women who are actually the ones going on there and doing that, they need to be supported. if our country makes our decision it is ridiculous for people in the country to run around screaming and yelling and having rallies. that's not right. she dedicated this report to all the veterans who fought for freedom and those who died doing so and the families who sacrificed so much. if you would like to share your thoughts, videos, pictures on

veterans day, wherever you are, go to ireport.com. several inches of rain fell overnight in the atlanta area, causing rivers and creeks to flood their banks. moderate flooding along the chattahoochee river. this community has a lot of homes surrounded by water. four and a half inches of rain fell at jackson international. the official city total was four inches of rain. that doubles the old daily record set in 1966. a rock slide closed down a major highway in south eastern tennessee as the workers were trying to clear the roadway from another incident. they almost got hit by another rock slide that was caught on tape. take a look. a local news crew was covering the cleanup effort and got the video of a second slide. they warned everybody that the second slide was coming.

moved everybody out of the way. highway 64, u.s. 64 near copper hill will be out of commission for a week. a story of survival near the arctic circle takes a dramatic twist. a 17-year-old hunter got trapped on an ice floe. there were also three polar bears on that patch of ice. one bear got too close and the hunter shot it. finally rescuers reached him by vote and helped get him to safety. then the rescuers got trapped and had to spend the night on the ice. a united airlines pilot gets yanked from a flight minutes before takeoff at an airport in london.

cleveland detectives have expanded it will search next door to the home where 11 bodies were found. city crews are cleaning up debris at the property to make it ready for thermal imaging scanning. anthony sowell is being held on five counts of aggravated murder. he lured women into his home with liquor and attacked them.

nine of the bodies found in the home have been i.d.'d. i'm jane velez-mitchell. here's my issue. everything happened in the accused cleveland strangler can be traced to drug use. it's the underlying theme. what was the common denominator of the victims. most were drug users. and according to his ex-girlfriend, sowell was also a drug addict. couple that with the fact that an attack survivor claimed sowell told her you're just another crack head from the street. nobody will notice you're victim. this may be the truth unfortunately. a victim's relative claims when she reported her missing daughter to police they laughed and said don't worry she'll return when the drugs wear down. this is an extreme example of drugs. it's time our nation intervention. i'm jane velez-mitchell. that's my issue. tonight a custody battle involving a former priest and the stripper who give birth.

jane velez-mitchell, tonight, every weeknight. a united airlines pilot was pulled off flight 767 just before takeoff for chicago on monday. authorities were called by a coworker who believes he was drunk. his blood alcohol level was indeed over the legal limit. an airline spokeswoman says -- police in missouri about half hour east of kansas city say they're investigating a shocking case involving unspeakable sex crimes committed 20 years ago against children. five men arrested and the victims are all from the same family. the suspects are accused of forcing one child to have sex with a dog and forcing an 11-year-old to have an abortion. authorities are scouring if grounds of the family's property. they're looking for glass jars with notes written by children who were allegedly abused by relatives from 1988 through 199.

>> the victims are from all over the united states right now. not all not all of them are local and i really don't want to give too much information about the victims. >> sheriff, is it true that the victims in this case describe their abuse at the time it happened when they were children and wrote it down and buried it in jars? >> that -- that has come up in our investigation and we are looking for evidence pertaining to those. there have been cases of body or bodies in numerous locations. >> this is all in lexington, missouri. police say one of the victims came forward in august and other siblings corroborated the claims of abuse by all five men. a woman in hennepin county of course is minnesota, who ran an athome day care admits to pinning toddlers to a mattress for eight years.

arvilla marie lilly minhart to discipline a young child now 7, who recently told her moth ber meinhardt. shannia davis went missing from her fayetteville home yesterday 5:30 in the morning. police are searching wooded areas near her home but they're worried heavy rain may delay efforts to find her. investigators say shani ya's family has a history. was last seen with a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. if you have information please contact the fayetteville police department. tonight, "nancy grace" with the latest developments on the search for shaniya davis. don't miss that. fed talk that interest rates will stay low for a while is giving investors a dose of optimism and that's translating into another gain.

it's been a pretty good run. here's the big board for you. just before the close of trading the dow up about 40 points. at 10,286. just at the end of the trading day. a college student's military i.d. may have saved his life. he went from mugging victim to military inspiration.

some of the soldiers wounded in the bloody rampage at ft. hood talked to reporters for first time. what they're sharing about that horrible day and the accused gunman. a minnesota woman who ran an in-home day care makes a shocking admission. what she said she did to some toddlers during nap time. a co-worker thought he was drunk. what the airline is saying now. hln news and views. hi, everybody. i'm chuck roberts. welcome on a wednesday. colonel john rossi says 15 of the wounded remain in area hospitals and four are still in

intensive care. but he says all the wounded are making great progress. some victims even felt well enough to talk about the attack. >> we heard the shooter continue to move to the opposite side of the building. as he continued to fire, very, very quick reloader on that weap weapon. he's very swift, very tactical in what he was doing. as he moved two other soldiers in the cubicle -- i wish i could remember their names -- decided it was time for us to get out of that building. >> it makes me feel bad but i can't really say that the perpetrator of this was really one of our own. soldiers do not do this to each other so this, this is something a little bit different. >> initially, i think it's difficult to kind of get back in there. you hit the ground from something that's happened metaphorically but i think that the important thing, i think we've all begun to go through this and i think that we've all

gotten back on our feet and i think that we're ready to get back in it. nidal malik hasan is accused killing 13 people in the rampage and wounding 40 other. we're hearing from the civilian police officer responsible for ending this taking down the gunman at ft. hood. sergeant kimberly munley is recovering from three gunshot wounds. we're going to bring you a good chunk of her emotional interview with oprah winfrey in just a minute. the suspect of the shootings, meanwhile is refusing to answer any questions about that day. his attorney says major hasan is coherent but isn't talking about the attack. he's still underguard in intensive care in san antonio. on cnn's "american morning" the attorney said he's had limited contact with his client. >> well, they've been very limited. as you know i've only recently retained and i've only had one opportunity to meet directly with him and that was for a brief 30-minute period shortly after i was retained. now i went down myself, and together with the military detailed defense council and met

with him. but it was primarily just to ensure that he was satisfied with the current composition of the defense team and then because of his medications and it was obvious that he was very tired, we terminated our interview at that time. >> investigators are still trying to figure out what provoked the attack. and there are questions about how much the government knew about hasan and his activities and views and his exchanges with a radical cleric before the massacre. also question about what happens next. we know hasan is facing a military trial, but will a jury of his peers judge him the same as a jury of civilians? i put that question to a former military attorney. >> you're dealing with the upper crust here because you're dealing with a major being tried and, therefore, you will have nothing under a lieutenant colonel on this panel. so that being the case, it's the equivalent of having a bunch of harvard grads or a college professors up there on the jury as opposed it a cross section of

society. you don't have that. so i think they'll be much less likely to go with that as far as exoneration. however at the death penalty phase, you'll be able to take it into consideration -- i should say, the panel members will -- in order for mitigation. and at that point -- if there is a strong case that he had some mental issues and some strong emotional issues, that could certainly take the death penalty off of the table. >> the u.s. military's not carried out an execution in almost 50 years. fbi agents showed up at the texas mosque where hasan worshiped. they wouldn't say what they were looking for. they searched a trash bin outside of the islamic community center of greater killeen. the mosque president had to leave the memorial traffic to sign of what appeared to be a search warrant. leaders at the mosque have condemned the ft. hood attack. president obama's commander in chief and on veterans day he's also consoler in chief. laid the wreath today. for victims of the ft. hood massacre. and he also paid tribute for all who have served and who are

currently serving in the military. >> an era where so many act only in pursuit of narrow self-interest. they've chosen the opposite. they chose to serve because that is greater than self. many after they knew they'd be sent into harm's way. and for the better part of a decade, they have endured tour after tour in distant and in difficult places. they have protected us from danger and they have given others the opportunity for a better life. so to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen and to their families, there's no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice. >> after the amphitheater service the president visited section 60, the burial ground at arlington, for u.s. military personnel killed in iraq and afghanistan.

a united airlines pilot was pulled off of a flight just before he was take to take off from london for chicago on monday. authorities were called by a co-worker, who thought he was drunk. british police administered a test, his blood-alcohol level, they say, was over the legal limit. that pilot has been removed from duty, as the airline investigates. the united says its policy is among the strictest in the industry. and as the statement continues, "we have no tolerance for violation of this well-established policy." a 5-year-old north carolina girl's missing and authorities suspect foul play in her disappearance. shaniya davis went missing from her fayetteville, north carolina, home yesterday, about 5:30 in the morning. searching wooded areas nearby but they're worried that heavy rain may hamper their efforts to find her. has a history with social services department. three feet tall. weighs 40 pounds. brown hair, brown ice. last seen with a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. if you have information congress

the pd fayetteville police department. by the way, nancy grace is all over this breaking story. she has new developments in the desperate search for shaniya davis. right here on hln. >> a 70-year-old woman who ran an in-home day care center outside of minnesota admits pinning toddlers to mattresses during nap time for eight years. is accused of using safety pins to discipline youngsters, now 7, who recently told her mother about the woman's akz actions. is charged with gross misdemeanor punishment of a child and false imprisonment. they're investigating unspeakable sex crimes committed 20 years ago against children. police say the five men arrested and the victims are all from the same family. the suspects are accused of forcing one child to have sex with a dog and force an 11-year-old to have an abortion. authorities are scouring the grounds of the family's property in lafayette county, missouri,

looking for glass jars with notes written by children who allegedly were abused by relatives through 1988 through 1995. the sheriff thursday may be one or more bodies buried on the property. >> searching all over right now, the united states, not all of them are local. and i really don't want to give too much information about the victims. >> sheriff, is it true that the victims in this case describe their abuse at the time it happened when they were children and wrote it down and buried it in jars? >> that -- that has come up in our investigation and we are looking for evidence pertaining to those. there has been in an occasion where body or bodies in numerous locations. >> police say one of the victims came forward in august and other siblings corroborated the claims of abuse by all five men. right no now in little rock, arkansas, the case of a tv anchor's death is in the hands of the jury. charged with the murder is curtis vance. he allegedly brutally beat ann presley to death at her home last year. presley died five days after the

beating. judge told the jurors before they began deliberating "now is the time it gets tense." vance could be sentenced to death if convicted. workers clearing a rock slide on a big, busy tennessee highway get a scare from a second slide and this time it's caught on tape.

hey, guys. i hope you're having a good, safe trip and we're thinking about you. our prayers are with you, and may god bless. >> indeed, it's veterans day, 2009. it used to be called armistice day back to end a -- marking the end of world war i. our thanks to all of the troops past and present who have served this nation. >> i absolutely agree. >> and as we celebrate veterans day, some people are asking the question, should women in the military be allowed to serve in combat? you'll remember that civilian police officer, sergeant kimberly munley, who was the one who confronted and shot the ft. hood gunman. she's appearing today on "the

oprah winfrey show." a recent article on slate.com the best way to honor her heroism would be drop the ban of women in combat. women are prohibited now in serving in infantry position, armored drivers or medics in combat units. the article points out 10,000 women serving in iraq, 4,000 more in afghanistan. they're driving truck, treating the wounded and shooting, when attacked. more than 100 have given their lives in iraq. another 15 have died in afghanistan. the article says this no combat policy pretends women can't take suchrifics without harming overall military performance. how about you? what do you think? let's go to the phones. let's talk to stan in texas. stan, hi. what do you think? >> caller: well, sir, i'm a foreign military veteran with 20 years of experience. i served in iraq several times in afghanistan and back in kuwait. i'm a veteran of war. and i was also a police officer for the military. i've worked side by side of

women. and they seem do the same job as men. they get the same training. they've proven themselves with people like the border patrol and the fbi and other agencies. i understand there are some concerns over the women taking unnecessary -- causing men to take unnecessary risk for their fellow female marine. however, you know, women, they have proven themselves. >> their toughness and compos e competition is not question, right? >> caller: right. someone said well do you want your mother or daughter serving in the military in combat? and i said, no. but they haven't enlisted in the military with that intent. >> exactly. exactly. stan iappreciate it. got to run. a couple of other callers. quiana is on the line in tallahassee. >> caller: how are you doing? he hi. what do you think? >> caller: i know that we should keep the women off of the front lines to do combat.

because women are strong enough but i just don't think that we have the physical ability to deal with, the shooting, the fighting, the bombing. i think it'll bring more stress on women than it does men because they have the ability to be strong like that so i don't believe that we should do that for the women. i appreciate them being in the military, but i don't think we should put them on the front line do combat. >> you don't think they have the strength for it, mentally? >> caller: mentally, no. women are very soft women. i don't think women have the ability to be that strong and be absent minded. >> all right. billie jo, in california. you get the last word. >> caller: i believe that women should be allowed do just the same things as the men do. it's ridiculous to say that we're not mentally equipped as a mom who's got female airman and another coming up who wants to enlist in the marines and has actually discussed going into the infantry as a recruiter and was told unable to do so. it's ridiculous.

they say, okay, well, the men will take unnecessary risks for their female companions. well, they do the same thing for the men. they back each other up. that's what they're there to do. that's what being a unit is. >> that is unit cohesion, the definition of it. billie jo, thanks. good call. a lot of e-mails and comments on facebook. jackie writes "women have been proving themselves for as long as the first woman was alive. why don't the men get a clue? we can work just as hard and effectively as you?" and the results of a very unstchk text poll thanks to everybody whose weighed in, shows 66% think that women should be able to go into combat. 34% think do not. that's almost 2-to-1. thanks to everybody, all of our viewers, who responded. we really appreciate it. all right, a rock slide closed down a highway in southeastern tennessee, just as workers tried to clear the roadway, they almost got hit by another rock slide and that one was caught on videotape. take a look.

>> a lome news crew is covering the cleanup effort and managed to get the video of that second rock slide. a state transportation department geologist had warned everyone to get out of the way, a second slide is coming. highway u.s. 64 has been closed for quite a while. maybe another week. a priest is attacked a tire iron. a marine reservist is accused of the brutal crime but wait till you hear his explanation.

for the first time we're hearing from the civilian police officer. whose quick thinking is credited with saving many lives during the shooting rampage at ft. hood. sergeant kimberly munley is being called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman, major nidal hasan. she's in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds, three we're told. talked to oprah winfrey about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes, the entire incident was

very confusing and chaotic. there was many peep outside pointing into the direction that this individual was apparently located and and as soon as i got into my vehicle and ran uphill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire. >> i've heard reports that, grazed your head. the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head, no ma'am. >> you did not. >> by the way that's two heroes right there on your screen. police sergeant mark todd, another of the first responders. their entire interview to be broadcast today on "the oprah winfrey show." police in tampa say a priest was attacked with a tire iron and the man accused of doing it is a marine corps reservist. police say alexio maraccis a

greek orthodox priest, very limited english, was. he followed lance corporal into the garage for directions. accused of beating the priest and calling him a terrorist. >> this is sad. a pius man. a very soft-spoken person whose life is dedicated to serving god, a church and for what it sounds to me he got lost and asked for directions and someone assaulted him. >> bruce's attorney claims the reverend markakis groped the man and that bruce was defending himself. he's free on bond. the priest has been taken to a actually. actually, released from the hospital. how about this, 13-month high, again, another winning session. third in a row. stock prices continue to add to recent kbans. stephanie elam is live in new york with more on this. >> reporter: yeah, a pair of fed officials said yesterday that the late economic rover would be slow. that convinced investors that

interest rates will remain low for quite a while longer. the dow ended on the upside for the sixth gain in a row, although trading was light. partially due to the veterans day hol date. dow rose 44 points, closing at 10,291 in the end. that's a fresh 13-month high. as you said, the nasdaq gained 3/4 of a percent. a growing number of states are now facing similar economic problems to those that pushed california to the brink of insolvency. according to the pew center the most trouble states, besides california, are arizona, florida, illinois, michigan, nevada, new jersey, oregon, rhode island and wisconsin. those states represent a one-third of the country's occupation and economic output and their problems could affect the rover of the entire nation. back to you, chuck. >> all right, boy, california is really in a world of hurt, aren't they? >> reporter: oh, indeed. >> steph neerk good to see you. you think that you know the news, prove it. test your knowledge with the "cnn challenge." with you pick your favorite anchor, how about robin meade

from hln's "morning express." so play right now. a former stripper and a former priest battle it out. not church in a court of law.

a jury in little rock, arkansas, has just found curtis vance guilty of capital murder in the beating death of a tv news anchor. vance was charged with brutally beating ann presley at her home about a year ago. presley died five days after the attack. the panel must now decide whether vance should be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison. the jury also convicted him of rape and burglary charges and a sidenote, the jury took less time deliberating his fate than the closing arguments took in the trial. police are on the hunt for a 5-year-old north carolina girl who seems to have disappeared without a trace. shaniya davis went missing from her home in fayetteville yesterday, but 5:30 in the

morning local time. she's 3 feet tall, weighs 40 pounds, brown hair, brown eye, and last seen in a blue t-shirt and pink underwear. investigators say shaniya's family has a history with the social services department and they expect foul play. police are searching wooded areas near her home but they're worried that heavy rain may keep them from finding her quickly. >> they have no leads at this time. they're just basically -- they've done a search yesterday and they're continuing to search. the reason to stop a lot of the searches yesterday because of of the inclement rain, the darkness. so they've been out this morning and they're continuing to interview everybody that's involved to include neighbors and family members. >> no signs so far. nancy grace has the latest developments. the desperate search for little shaniya davis. president obama of course is commander in chief, but on veterans day, he is also consoler in chief. he laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns today, an occasion that was especially poignant, as

he had led yesterday's memorial service or victims of the massacre at ft. hood. he also paid tribute to all who have served and are currently serving this country. >> to all of our wounded warriors and to the families who laid a loved one to rest, america will not let you down. we will take care of our own. to those who are serving in far-flung places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an america that is forever here for you, just as you have been here for us. that is my promise, our nation's promise to you. >> democratic senator daniel akaka of hawaii laid a memorial today at the world war ii memorial in washington. he is a world war ii veteran. he's the chairman of the veterans affairs committee. other people brave the rain to honor those who served during vietnam. thousands gathered for a ceremony at the black grannet

wall. including active duty and retired service members. well, we're learning more about the surviving victims of last week's shooting attack at ft. hood. 15 people remain in area hospitals. a soldier who's only feet away from the suspected gunman, major hasan, when the shots rang out, said it will be hard for the soldiers to head back to war. >> oh of course. i think there will be fears and worries within anything. there was a shooting at home and now you're going into a combat zone. however, you know this is our job. and sometimes you just have to kind of push through and continue and with time it will heal your wounds. >> four of those hurt in the shooting remains in intensive care and also told making great progress. for the first time we're hearing from the police officer. sergeant kimberly munley is called a hero for bringing down the alleged gunman. she's in the hospital recovering from three gunshot wounds, and

today she told talk show host oprah winfrey about the attack. >> was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? >> yes, the entire incident was very confusing and chaotic. there was many peep outside, pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located and as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is when things started getting pretty bad and we started encountering fire. >> i heard reports that grazed your head, the bullet grazed your head. >> no, ma'am. actually the first round that i took was on my knuckle of my right hand. i did not get a graze to the head, no ma'am. >> you did not. >> and that's a hero to her right. police sergeant mark todd and also one of the first responders

at the scene. their entire interview is broadcast today on "the oprah winfrey show. ". the suspect in the shootings is still refusing to answer any questions about the day. is coherent but isn't talking about attack. he remains under guard at san antonio at the brooke army medical have. investigators are trying to figure out what might have provoked the attack. the fbi has shown up at a texas mosque where he worshipped. they wouldn't say what they were looking for but they did search the trash bin outside of the islamic community center of greater killeen. the mosque president actually had to least memorial service to sign of what appeared to be a search warrant. leaders at the mosque have condemned the attack. a college student's military i.d. may have saved his life. how he went from mugging victim to military inspiration.

hi, happy veterans to all of you veterans. i just want to thank my family and everyone who supports me. have a great veterans day and thank you for the veterans who are out there. >> everybody pulling honorstoid. we salute veterans. everyone who wore a uniform, past and present, thank you for serving americans today. a university of wisconsin student who is an army reservist said some muggers returned his wallet the moment they saw he was in the military. 21-year-old kyle windorski was walking to his home yesterday in milwaukee. four men with hoods or hats covering their faces, forced him at gunpoint to lay faced down in an alley. grabbed his wallet, $16, his keys and cell phone but they had an immediate change of heart when they opened his billfold. >> on going through my wallet, they found my military i.d.,

which stopped them dead in their tracks,what i presume to be the leader of the group said "we can't do this. we have to give him his stuff back." one of the individuals came back and gave me a fist bump on their way out. and said "thank you for what you do." >> the university stepped up patrols in windorski's neighborhood which surrounds the campus. hope you were with us yesterday for that powerful memorial service at ft. hood but if you have only heard about the somber and emotional service held yesterday, then you've only heard half the story. there were deafening cheers and tears of joy as well. cnn.com is bringing us that angle today on dot com live virginia cha. >> yeah, chuck, just hours after that solemn and moving memorial ceremony yesterday, ft. hood hosted a homecoming celebration unlike any that "the post" has seen before. >> ft. hood!

>> whoo! ♪ >> aah. last night the gray wolf troopers of the 3rd brigade combat team came home after 13 months in mosul, iraq. now the soldiers actually filed into formation. one last time before being rushed by their excited family members. and you know during this time, there was little talk of the killings last week because this night was all about these returning soldiers. this was about being grateful for them coming home and for being reunited with their loved ones. you could see the excitement in the faces of the husband's wives, children, mothers, fathers. some interesting signs also being brought to the field there. one of the soldier's wives said that the past 13 months has been very difficult, but she also said, "everybody pulls together when they need it. last week showed that and this right here shows that." so if you want to see more video by the way of that emotional homecoming with you go to

cnn.com/video. >> did you see the smile on that little kid's face? >> i know. >> it's great. one of the world's most prestigious universities is now criticized for honoring a woman who's become a global symbol of freedom. what's the deal? >> reporter: yeah, chuck, who can forget the horrifying on-camera shooting death of that young iranian woman, neta sultan back in june. it provoked world wide outrage. and now there is outrage coming from iran's government but this is for a very different reason. you can see, britain's oxford university has announced the creation of a scholarship named for neda. the university's queens college says a donor has funded the scholarship. it'll primarily be given to students of iranian decescent. slamming the school's decision accusing of it being politically motivated. tehran previously accused the british of helping to incite the protest that followed the controversial presidential election back in june. and in a letter to oxford university, the iranian embassy reiterated those beliefs, and

also said that the college is taking advantage of neda's death by naming the scholarship after her. the school defends itself saying donors are free to name scholarships and that the school is always interested in financial support for its students. >> to be continued. virginia, thank you so much, appreciate it. >> reporter: you bet. the sheriff investigate the the balloon boy case in colorado will not face criminal charges. the boy's family's attorney says the sheriff violated privacy laws when he said child welfare workers were involved in the investigation. but the d.a. said the sheriff did not disclose any information he wasn't supposed to. the family's lawyer says this is typical law enforcement whitewash. you'll remember the boy's family is publicly denied that they ever falsely reported he was in that balloon. a tennessee woman who went to mcdonald's for lunch went home a millionaire on her cup of sweet tea, she had two of the most-important pieces to the mcdonald's monopoly game, park place and boardwalk and the piece earned her $1 million. >> i don't think it's really set

in yet. it's unreal. >> she said she wants to use the money to go to college and buy a house. one thing atlanta and its suburbs do not need is more rain, but that's exactly what residents got. lots of it, thanks to the remnants of tropical storm ida. where and when will this water go down?

welcome back. quarter hour "prime news" approaches in minutes. mike galanos here with a preview coming up at the top of the hour. what do you got. >> the story that you're talking about, shaniya davis, a 5-year-old's gone missing. happened yesterday morning from what we understand. the mom says puts the little girl on the couch and an hour later notices the girl is missing. some disturbing notes on this one, chuck. finding out that the department of social services has been to this home multiple times. we know that there was a drug raid on this home back in july. so a lot of issues besides just a missing 5-year-old as we try to piece this together. we'll talk to our experts, talk to you, call in wur w your comments, questions, your theories, 1-877-tell-hln is the phone number. also this story, horrific story. we're still trying to come to grips with. the gang rape, richmond,

california, outside of the homecoming dance. 15-year-old raped and beaten. for 2 1/2 hours. well, now some witnesses that saw this unfold and did nothing are coming forward to tell why they didn't do anything, and also what they saw. some brutal details as we continue to cover that one for you. and we're revisiting this story from about a year ago. not sure if everybody remembers, chuck. there was a mentally ill guy who got up on a roof, it was about 8, 10 feet off of the ground. he was waving a fluorescent pole, but police officers about -- about 40 minutes into this, one of the officers ordered for him tased. he fell to his death, after being tased. eight days later the officer who ordered that tasing killed himself and his wife is suing the police officer because they did not stand by this man. 21-year-old veteran, a clean record. we'll get into that and as always take your comments, your questions. 1-877-tell-hln is the number coming your way top the hour. >> three compelling story, sir, thanks. several inches of rain fell

overnight in the atlanta area pushing creeks and rivers out of their banks thanks to the remnants of tropical storm ida and forecasters say there is moderate flooding along the chattahoochee river near the vinings community just west of the city of atlanta. 4 1/2 inches of rain fell at hartsfield-jackson international. the official total yesterday was four inches but that nearly doubles the one-day record set in 1966. this storm that was ida isn't done yet. more showers are forecast along the mid-atlantic seaboard. this weekend you will see him serving our troops. clark and robin meade from hln's "morning express" teamed up to help soldiers and you, save more, spend less and avoid getting ripped off. >> marie broorks might be your favorite person here today. she says what's the best way to be debt-free before retirement? when you are going to be retiring? >> two years from the army reserve. and two to five years from civil service. >> okay. so the question is what kind of debts do you have that you're trying to get your arms around?

>> i want to get around to paying off the house and having just house and utilities by the time i retire. >> all right. well, paying off your home mortgage is not always a priority. the big priority is paying off any unsecure debt -- personal loans, credit cards, then next would be car loans. but home mortgage debt is not a high priority with me. it's more important that you beef up your savings than it is to be mortgage debt-free. it's psychological for people to want to be mortgage debt-free on the day they retire. i'm not that much into that cause your house isn't going to feed you money. you're going to feed yourself from the money that you have sniefd yeah, clark, but what about, i have heard other financial analysts who aren't half as good as you. may i just say that? when they say, yeah that you're paying off your mortgage should be a priority because that way you're never homeless. >> well, that is a good point

but i'm more concerned about people who retire don't have enough money, don't have enough cash to pay for everyday things, and they -- it's an empty victory that they own their house free and clear. >> don't miss it, "operation clark smart" right here on hln. three times this weekend, 6:00, 8:00, noon and 4:00 p.m. eastern. the mastermind of the washington, d.c. sniper attacks that terrorized the nation in 2002 said nothing before his execution last night. john allen muhammad died by lethal injection. ambulance took away his remains. some victim's relatives witnessed the execution as did the prosecutor who won the death penalty conviction. muhammad got death sentence for the shooting death of dean harold meyers but the d.c.-area attacks left ten people dead all told. crashed late last month injuring 13 members of georgia's

morehouse ban has died of natural causes. involved in the halloween day accident outside of atlanta says ralph marshall died of a heart attack. the 63-year-old died after a car wreck but an autopsy showed no evidence of of significant injury from the incident. results of toxicology tests are pending. a united airlines pilot pulled off a flight just before he was to take off from london bound for chicago. authorities were called by a co-worker who thought he was drunk. british police say his alcohol level was over the legal limit. the pilot has been removed from duty as the airline investigates but a spokeswoman read this statement. united's policy is among the strictest in the industry. a rockslide closes down a busy highway in tennessee as workers try the clear the road from an earlier incident almost got hit by another slide and that one was caught on videotape. take a look.

pretty impressive. a local news crew was cover the cleanup and managed to get the second slide. a state jol gist warned everyone there might be this second slide and moved them out of the way. u.s. 64 near copper hill and duckville, tense may be closed a week. a story of survival near the arctic circle a 17-year-old hunter trapped on an ice flow in hudson bay. he wasn't alone. there were three polar bears on the patch of ice. the teen spent two nights adrift. one bear got too close and the hunter shot it. finally rescuers reached him by boat and helped get him to safety and then got trapped. they had to spend a night on the ice and another rescue party was dispatched and reached them the next day. a former stripper and former priest battle it out not in church but a court of law why a baby's future hangs in the balance and, as we go to break, take another look at the dow, 13-month high, highest level in 13 months. the do you closes today at

almost 10,300. we'll be right back. @@@@@@